Iranian patients face soaring drug prices and treatment delays amid shortages
Rising medication costs and persistent shortages are forcing many Iranians to postpone essential treatments, exemplified by a 70-year-old breast-cancer patient who cannot afford her next chemotherapy session.
In Iran, a 70-year-old woman diagnosed with advanced breast cancer was slated for six chemotherapy sessions, each priced at around 100 million tomans, which equals about six times the minimum monthly wage. Her children have asked her doctor to defer the upcoming treatment while they look for a loan or other financial assistance. Doctors living in Austria explain that escalating drug prices, chronic shortages, and difficulties in foreign-currency transfers are driving many patients to postpone or abandon therapy.
Recent data from a domestic pharmaceutical firm show average price rises of roughly 120 percent for 82 products, with some antibiotics climbing over 300 percent. Monthly insulin costs have jumped from about 280 000 to 1.1 million tomans, and the locally produced version of the cancer drug Keytruda now costs around 70 million tomans, far exceeding the minimum wage. The scarcity has spurred a black-market for imported medicines, raising concerns about improper storage and counterfeit products. Iranian officials acknowledge that sanctions-related banking hurdles and war-related currency disruptions have worsened the supply chain, while the health committee reports that around 43 medicines are in critical shortage and patients now bear more than 70 percent of costs out-of-pocket.
Why it matters
Escalating drug prices and shortages threaten the health of millions of Iranians and could lead to higher mortality.
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